‘LIBERATION’ ON THE HORIZON
Nearly 80% of Redding’s Meadow Ridge seniors vaccinated, herd immunity may be near
“Thank God we have it.”
Bill Balch, Meadow Ridge resident getting the COVID-19 vaccine Friday
REDDING — After six COVID-19 vaccine clinics, Meadow Ridge’s herd immunity may be imminent.
“It’s like a celebration for us here today [Friday],” said Chris Barstein, executive campus director at the independent and assisted living facility.
The community held its sixth vaccine clinic since December on Friday, and Meadow Ridge resident Bill Balch said he was ecstatic.
“Thank God we have it,” he said. While Balch felt no side effects after his first dose, he said he certainly felt the vaccine going in. The facility has not received any reports of adverse reactions to the vaccine, other than some residents who experienced aches and arm soreness, Barstein said.
As he knocked on his wooden desk, Barstein said he hopes over 80 percent of the community will be vaccinated by the end of the clinic. Some residents received their first dose on Friday, while others got their second.
Resident Rilla Neafsey, 81, said she felt “positive” standing in line to get her
first dose, something she had long been waiting for. She said she feels lucky because her friends living elsewhere have not signed up, been inoculated or even received much information regarding vaccines.
“This is going to be a bit of a liberation but it’s not going to be a get-out-of-jail free card completely,” her husband, Jack, said after receiving his first dose of the Pfizer vaccine. “But, I think this will be a great liberating time. Once we get the second dose, we can get a little more freedom and it’ll be much better than it has been.”
For the residents, the shot was a sliver of light during tough times. Meadow Ridge residents, like other seniors, have complied with restrictions at facilities for their safety, including not being able to see friends or family for a long stint of time.
“I miss being in touch with people. It’s just really a downer,” Balch said. “You see them, but you don’t really see them. They come out now and again, but there are so many people I haven’t seen in almost a year.”
Most days, he feels grateful for owning a dog, which allows him to get outside and moving.
Despite vaccinating a large portion of the population, including Meadow Ridge staff and workers, Barstein does not anticipate making any policy changes until at least March, when the vaccines are at “full potency,” he said.
In the interim, the facility continues restricting outside visitors and mandating mask and social distancing practices.
“We’ll be able to evaluate that come that first week of March, when we have as many people as we’re going to have inoculated and the vaccine has taken full effect,” Barstein said. “At this point, it would be irresponsible to change any of our practices and to have gatherings and communal dining or anything at this point.”
Had the community not advocated for independent living folks to be included in early vaccination efforts, the majority of Meadow Ridge residents would not be inoculated, Barstein said. The initial distribution plan called for Meadow Ridge to solely vaccinate residents living in skilled nursing and assisted living facilities, excluding those housed in independent living, Barstein said.
The bulk of Meadow Ridge residents, about 270 people, are part of the independent living facility, while only 20 residents account for assisted living and another 46 reside in a skilled nursing facility.
However, the community advocated for all to be included because residents and employees move from neighborhood to neighborhood, Barstein said.
“These residents have been very, very vocal, wanting to get the inoculation,” he said. “They have been instrumental in advocating for this segment to be included in this phase by calling the department of public health, their state representatives.”
“We look at it as potential for a new beginning and an ability to get back to some semblance of normalcy,” he added.